Brunch – It’s What’s for Dinner

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Amelia M.

Like many people my age, I have a totally normal and completely healthy obsession with brunch. Brunch is somehow more magical than those other meals. There are few better ways to start your day.

The sadness of this obsession is if you work from 9-5 you have a very limited brunch window. This is why while the IT guy was rebooting my computer the other day I pitched him this super excellent, brunch friendly work week schedule:*

Four 9 hour work days [Mon – Thursday] followed by a 4 hour Friday. Now, most big office can’t have everyone leaving in the middle of the day on Friday [at least the little people who answer the phones and such]. This necessitates people alternating morning and afternoon shifts. The day you have your afternoon shift you have a perfect brunch window.

This may not seem like much, but that’s 2 extra potential brunch days a month or 24 a year. That’s a lot of gourmet twists on traditional comfort foods and expertly cooked bacon.

Let’s work on making this a reality. European employees get siestas and close down their businesses for weeks at a time, the least we deserve is a few more brunch days in the work calendar.

In the spirit of this brunch celebration here are some great SLC places I’ve brunched:

Park Cafe
Eggs in the City
Blue Plate Diner
Finns
Grand America Hotel
Wild Grape
Pig & A Jelly Jar
The Original Pancake House
The Rose Establishment
Evas [ Not to be confused with Eva, small plates]
Ruth’s Diner

Also, here is my SLC Brunch wishlist:

Frida Bistro
Rye
Em’s Restaurant
Lazy Day Cafe
Caffe Niche
Penny Ann’s. I will however, be tempted to try pie with breakfast.
Faustina
Pago
Bambara
Finca
Eva [Not to be confused with Evas, the bakery]

SLC friends, am I missing anything ?? Also, please say you’ll come with me : ) The only thing better than brunch is a brunch shared of course! And by share, I mean share each other’s company, and not my actual food. Sorry, them’s the brunch rules.

[Note: Thanks to this list for helping me vet recommendations. Also some of these, like Rye, Faustina, and Penny Ann’s, I’ve been to for other meals, but never brunch. ]

*The IT guy was receptive, but more interested in fixing my browser issues so I’ll mark him as “tentative” for a pro-brunch workplace

Currently: Trying a new workout thing called “tendonitis.” Oops. Thankfully the people in my life are taking good care of me. My sister and Derek even brought my a little pie from Press Sweet Cidery last night [Pie, of course, is a highly recommended treatment for tendonitis].

Little Sister’s Big Day

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Amelia M.

Me: “Is it weird for me as not-the-bride to do a blog post entirely about your wedding?”

Gab: “You haven’t blogged about my wedding???”

So without further ado I will end my 2014 recap by sharing ten facts about my sister’s wedding:

1. The Bride is from Texas. The Groom from Nebraska. They were married in the Houston temple and the reception was at our friend’s house just around the corner from us in Sugar Land.

Gabby and Derek. There will be no kissing pictures of the couple on this blog out of respect to my mother, who believes that kissing belongs in real life and movie finales, but never 4×6 glossy paper.

The Houston Temple

2. In a cruel twist of fate, the forecast called for 100% rain. That is not hyperbole. 100% Texas thunderstorm rain. In a much kinder turn of events this rain turned out to be more of a drizzle most of the day and stopped long enough for pictures. Plus my Mom and Grandma managed to assemble all these cute umbrellas.

Bride + Best Ever Sister of the Bride [Real, actual wedding title I made up for myself]

3. There was no end to the flowers. None.

Bekah does absolutely magical things with flowers.

3. We have the best family and friends in the world. Everyone came out and showered us with love, generosity, and kindness. On top of it all, friends served food, washed dishes, and otherwise helped keep my Mom sane through the planning process.

Dinner shenanigans. I love a good “funny” picture :)

Mom and Dad.

My Mom, her parents, and her sisters.

4. Bridesmaids came from near [Austin, Dallas], Far [Paraguay], and In Between [Utah].

“Utah” Bridesmaids :)

All of these girls are the best.

“Texas” Bridesmaids + Alex. Note that as sister of the bride I looked over all the bridesmaids. Literally. This in no way kept me from wearing heels.

6. The wedding hashtag was #gabbyandderek2014 and we were not afraid to use it.

7. There was so much good food. My favorite thing was probably the mashed potato bar; each serving was dished up in a martini glass. I would show you except when I had time to eat I was so focused on eating that I did not take any pictures.

8. Our friend Yvonne made the cake and it was so delicious there was not a single slice left. We wrapped one piece up for someone to take home and the top layer for the freezer.

There was also a near cake catastrophe when some layers started sliding in the middle of the night before the big day. But luckily due to some quick thinking and Yvonne’s fast and nimble decorating fingers all ended well.

9. Their first dance was to “When the Right One Comes Along” by the Striking Matches. Then Gabby danced with my Dad and Derek danced with his Mom to “It Won’t Be Like This for Long” by Darius Rucker. They left their party surrounded by sparklers [A near miracle with all the rain and general drizzliness of the night].

I don’t have a good pic of Gabby and Dad dancing [just video that would be way too annoying to upload], so enjoy this picture of them laughing about something at the dinner the night before instead.

10. Gabby and Derek are meant to be. I’m glad my sister has found someone who makes her so happy. It was a wonderful day and Derek is a great addition to our family. I’m grateful I could be a part of their day.

[As you may have guessed I supplemented my photos with some of Gabby’s engagements and bridals. Her photographer was Andra, check her out here.]

Currently: trying a new fitness thing: Boxing classes!

Hooray for Ouray

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Amelia M.

I’m almost done with my 2014 recap [Just one left after this] and it wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t talk about the second half of my Colorado trip, Ouray. My time in in Ouray consisted of two activities: viewing gorgeous scenery from the hot spring pools and exploring Box Canyon Falls.

Box Canyon Falls had a path that lead directly under the waterfall.